Antiseptic mouthpiece for telephones.



F. 0. TABLER. ANTISEPTIG MOUTHPIEOE FOR TELEPHONES.

Patented May 14, 1912.

APPLICATION II'LED JULY 10, 1911. 1,026,414.

. use,

UNITED s'rn'rns P TENT orricn.

FRANK c. TABLER, or sr. LOUIS, mrssounr, 'nssrenon 011'; FIFTY-ONE ONE-awn nnnnms TO ens v. n. MEGHIN, 0E1 ST. LOUIS. MISSOURI-'- ANTISEP'IIQMOUTHPIEGE FOR TELEEHONES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMay14p1912- Application filed July 10, 1911. Serial in. 637,899.

I 0 all. whom 'it-may con'cem:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. TABLER, a

- citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Antiseptic Mouthpieces for Telephones; of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specificatiomin whicha Figure l is a perspective view showing my improved antiseptic mouth piece in position on an ordinary telephone transmltter. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the center of my improved mouth piece. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the-ant? septic mouth piece with the box plate thereof removed. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section. taken on the line IV-JV of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 2 and showing a modified form of my improved mouth piece. I

This invention relates to an antiseptic mouth piece for telephones, and is an improvementon the antiseptic attachment for telephones of the type shown and described structions disclosed in the above mentioned patent, to provide a simple and inexpensive mouth piece which can be readily applied to the types of transmitters now in general to equip said mouth pieces with a piece of fabric or absorbent material which. is saturated with a suitable antiseptic solution forthepurpose of thoroughly antisepticizing the entire mouth piece, thereby preventing the transmission of disease germs from one user of the telephone to another, and to construct the outer face plate of the mouth piece of the telephone so that as ordinarily used will be practically impossible for the lips of the telephone user to come in contact with the bell-shaped portion of the mouth piece whichleads to the diaphragm of the transmitter.

To the above purposes my invention con sists in certain novel features of construe tion and arrangenient of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numeralsto the accompany ing drawings A designatestheitransmittep. housing which carries the usual disk B rovided with the carbon button 0, and w "ch.

transmitter housing .in .the' present instance is shown mounted on the upper end of/a standard D of the type ordinarily used in connection with a desk set telephone. It will be readily understood, however, that my improved antiseptic mouth piece can be used in connection with the transmitters of ordinary box-telephoneswhich are usually positioned on a wall or the like.

The main body portion of myj-improved mouth piece is preferably formed of glass or vitrified earthen material, and comprises a ring or shell 1, the rearportion of which is internally threaded in order to receive the threaded edge of the rear wall of the mouth piece, which latter is .in the form of a disk 2, providedat itsv center with a rearwardly projecting tubular extension 3. which is externally threaded in order that it may be detachably mounted, in the threaded opening formed in the center of the face plate of a the transmitter housing A. Fixed in any suitable manner to the disk 2 in front of the tubular extension 3 is a perforated disk 4-.

The face plate 5 of my improved mouth piece is formed integral with the ring or shell 1 and extendsfromthe forward edge thereof inwardly to the edge of the perforated disk t. An annular rib or bead 6 is formed in the face plate at the point where the same unites with the ring or shell 1, and from this bead or rib said face plate extends anwardly to form an annular groove 7.

An annular bead or rib 8 is formed in the face plate inside and concentric with the bead or rib 6 and the groove'7 and this head or rib 6 lies a substantial distance below or inside the plane occupied by the head or rib 6. The central portion of the face plate immediately adjacent the bead or rib 8 extends inwardly as designated by 9, and terminates immediately adjacent the outer edge of the perforated plate 4 thereby forming a sound conducting chamber or passage way which gradually tapers'inwardly from the bead or rib .8 to the perforated disk 4, and which latter is positioned immediately in. front of the passa eway through the tubular extension 3 leading into the transmitter. i

Formed on the interior of the ringer shell ring or shell 1, and are. provided with but tons 14, which are adapted to be engaged by the thumb'and finger for the purpose of rotating said spindles thereby reeling or winding the fabric 13 from one spool to the other.

' The fabric 13 carrying the antiseptic solution or cd hpound occupies a-position be tween the inner end pf the bell-shaped por tion 9 of the face plate, and the perforated plate 4, and therefore; the surface of the portion 9 of the face plate and the perforated disk 4: are thoroughly antisepticized.

The'annular rib or bead 8 forming the outer edgeof the bell-shaped central portion of the mouth piece leading .into the transmitter, and in fact the entire central'portion of theface plate 5 inside the marginal bead or rib 6 occupies a position wholly below or inside the plane occupied by said bead or rib 6, and therefore, it is practically impossible for the. lips of the user of the telephone, equipped with my improved mouth piece, to come. in contact with the central portion of the face plate, for the reason that in using the telephone so equipped the nose or chin of the user will come in contact with the bead or rib 6, thus Warning the user of the close proximity of the mouth piece to the lips.

40 In the modified form of the device illustrated uFig. 5 a body 15 of absorbent material 'i'spositioned iuthe groove formed on the inside of the bead or rib 6, and extending from one side of this rib of absorbent material to the other, and directly across the. opening through the center of the face plate is a section of fabric 1.6. The body 15 is saturated with a suitable antiseptic medi-' um, and the same is transmittcdto the section of fabric 16 by capillary attraction.

When the sections of antiseptic carrying fabric have become dried they can be readily saturated with fresh solution or compound by unscrcwing'the ring or shell 1 from the disk 2, thus exposing the sections of absorbent material.

A mouth piece of my improved construction is comparatively simple, can be cheaply 1 manufactured, is adapted for use in connection with the standard forms of transmitters and provides simple means whereby the transmission of disease between the users of the telephone transmitter is effectually prevented;

The annular head. or rib formed on the margin of the face plate performs a two" fold function, and in addition. to forming a guard toprevent the lips of the user of the telephone coming in contact Withthe' central portion of the face plates, said bead or flange forms a. deflecting wall-to cause. sound Waves to be thrown or deflected toward the center of the face plate, and. into the orifice of the center thereof.

The main portion of the housing of my improved mouth piece, is preferably constructed of glass, and therefore, can be easily cleaned and. when in proper position on a telephone transmitter presents a neat and finished appearance. The transmission of go disease germs between the users of a telephone transmitter, is very often caused by reason of the lips of one user coming in contact with the hell or mouth piece, thereby leaving disease germs,which, are transmitted 5 to a subsequent user, whose lips come in contact with a mouth piece. By my peculiar construction of the face plate.,,ef the trans 'mitter the aforesaid ELC'iZlOIl in trahsmittin 1 disease germs is entirelyovercoine, for the reason that it is practically impossible for the lips of the user of'rny improved-trans mitter to come .ingcontact with that portion v of the mouth piece leading into the sound conveying chamber or passage Way:

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the construction and combination of the various parts of my device may be made and substituted for thoseherein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended. claims.

I claim: I

1. An antiseptic mouth piece for telephones, comprising housing having a centrally disposed opening, a roll of absorbent material the web of which extends across said opening, means for moving said, Web across the opening and a marginal head or rib on the front side of said mouth piece, which head or rib extends. beyond the cen' tral portion of the face plate of said mouth piece. 2. An antiseptic mouth piece for telephones, comprising a housing having a centrally disposed opening, a. section of absorbent material extending across said open ing, means for moving said absorbent material across said opening, a marginal head or rib on the front side of said mouth piece, which bead or rib extends beyond the central portion of the face plate of said mouth piece, andmeans within the housing for supplying the absorbent material with an antiseptic ruedium.

3.2121 antiseptic mouth piece for tclephones, comprising a housing having frontand rear walls, which walls are provided with centrally d posed openings, an outwardly project 1 nular bead formed on 1 yond the face p the front wall immediately adjacent the opening therein, and a marginal head on said frontgzzall, which margin bead extends beyond the bead on the central portion of said front wall.

4. An antiseptic mouth piece for telephones, comprising a housing having front and rear walls, which walls are provided with centrally disposed openings, an outwardly projecting annular bead formed on the front wall immediately adjacent the opening therein, a marginal be'a'd on said front wall, which margin bead extends bebead on the central portion-of said front wall and an antiseptic carrying mem-. ber within. said housing. I

An antiseptic mouth piece for tel'e phones, comprising a housing having a late in'which is formed an opening, an outwardly projecting annular ea formed on' thefront face of said face plate immediately adjacent the. opening therein, a marginal bead on said face plate, which bead extends beyond the central portion of the face plate, and a removable back plate for said h'ousing.

S. An antiseptic mouth .piece for telephones, comprising a housing having a face plate in which is formed an opening,

an outwardly projecting annular 1 bead front face of said faceplate formed on the immediately adjacent the opening therein,

,' alnarginal bead on said face plate, which head extends beyond the central portion of the face plate, a removable back plate for said housing, in which back plate is formed a centrally disposed opening.

4 7. An antiseptic mouth piece for telephones, comprising a housing having a face plate in which is formed an opening, an outwardly projecting annular bead formed on the front face of said face plate immediately adjacent the opening therein, a marginal bead on said face plate, which bead extends beyond the central portion of the face plate, a removable back plate for said housing, and an antiseptic medium carrying member located within said hous- 111g.

8. An antiseptic mouth piece for telephones, oomprisin a housing having a face plate in whic; is formed an opening, an outwardly projecting annular bead formed on the front face of said face plate immediately adjacent the opening, therein,

a marginal bead on said face plate, which bead extends beyond the central portion of the face plate, a removable back plate for said housing, in which back plate is formed a centrally disposed opening, and an antise )tic medium carrying member located within said, ho'using.

' hones corn )k ptic mouth piece for tele 1 a housing hav ng a, con- 9. An anti.

, b traily isposed opening, a section of ismtrally opening in said face plate,

ble material within said housing, which flexible material carries an antiseptrc medium, and means for moving said section of material across the opening through the housing.

' 10. An antiseptic mouth piece for telephones, comprising a housinghaving a cendisposed opening, a section of flexible material within said housin'g which flexible materialgcarries an antiseptic*medium, means for moving said section of ma terial across the opening through the lions ing, and a marginal bead on the face plate of said housing, which bead extends beyond the central portion of the face plate of said mouth piece.

-" 11. An antiseptic mouth. piece for telephones, comprising a housing having a 'rear wall and a face plate, which rear wall and face plate are provided with alinedppenings, apair of ribs formed on the front of the face plate, one rib located immediately adjacent to the located immediatelya'djacent to the marginal edgeof said face plate;

12. An antiseptic mouth piece for teleforwardly projecting annular and the other rib phones, comprising a housing having a rear 7 wall and a face plate, which rear wall iand face plate are provided with alined openings, a forwardly projecting annular rib on the front of the face plate around theopening therein, a forwardly projecting annular rib on said face plate around the marginal edge thereof which last mentioned rib extends beyond the plane occupied by the inner rib and an antiseptic medium carrying member located within the housing.

13. In a device of the class described a mouth piece comprising a ring, a face plate integral therewith in the center of which. face plate'is formed an opening, a forwardly projecting annular rib on the front side of the face platearound the opening therein and" a forwardly projecting concentric annular rib formed on the front side of face plate around the marginal edge thereof, which last mentioned rib occupies a vertical plane in front of theplane occupied by the inner annular rib.

14:. in a device of the class described a mouth piece comprising a ring, a face plate integral therewith in the center of which face plate is formed an opening, a forwardly projecting annular rib 6n the front side of the face plate around the opening therein, a forwardly pipjecting concentric annular rib formed on the front side of face plate around the marginal edge thereof, which lastmentioned rib occupies a vertical plane in front of the plane occupied by the inner annular rib and an antiseptic medium carrying memher arranged against the rear side of said,

face late and extending across the opening there-1n.

i 15, Thecombination wish a telephone ing member arranged within said housing mouthpiece having an opening of a -fiexi= "-and extending across the opening therein, ble antiseptio-medim carrying member'posie; and means whereby said antiseptie. medium tione'd in the-rear of one month piece and carrying member is shifted Wiihin said -5 which flexible member is 'adapted'to be .housing. I

v moveo'l so asto bring a fresh sectionthereof In testimony whereof L hereunto affix my into. position immediately behind the open{ signature in the presence of two witnesses, '20 .in 'inghefece'plate. 1 v this'fibh day of Ju1y,.,1911.

16.: nientiseptic mouth iece or tele- "r0 phones, comprising e housing heving 'ajfa'ce vFRANK lABLER" plate,- the central portion of which extender, Witnesses: inward; and is provided with a centrally dis- M. 1?. SMITH, posed opening, ell-antiseptic medium ca rry B.S.'REID. 

